Death Statistics

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Death Statistics

The drug overdose rate in Syracuse, New York is higher
than the state and national average. Drug-induced deaths have been on the rise
in this city for the better part of a decade to the point where it has become a
full-blown epidemic. Out of every
100,000 people, 15 die of an overdose related to drugs each year.

The majority of the overdose deaths that occur in the
city of Syracuse are directly related to opiates such as heroin and fentanyl.
In just this past year 34 people died as a direct result of a heroin overdose
within the city limits. However, this is not the only type of substance abuse
that leads to death in the city. The city of Syracuse has also seen a dramatic
spike in cocaine use. Cocaine use has not lead to as many deaths as opiates
within the city limits but has caused a rise in property crime and gang-related
activity.

Doctors and other health professionals in the city of
Syracuse found that more overdoses from opiates started to occur when laws
passed restricting the availability of prescription painkillers. When these
laws passed people that were dependent on painkiller medications began to turn
to illicit street drugs such as heroin. This has proven to be incredibly
dangerous for many of the individuals who have gone this route. People that
were formerly addicted to prescription painkillers have no real way to gauge
their tolerance to more potent street substances like heroin which leads to
accidental overdose.
In Onondaga country, where the city of Syracuse resides, there were 205
drug overdose deaths last year. Like in many other cities, studies have found
that the more rural areas of Onondaga county experience the most issues with
substance abuse and overdoses. This has been found to be directly correlated
with the higher poverty rate in these rural areas.